Combined shell extractor and indicator



p 9, 1958 A; E. LUClANl 2,850,827

COMBINED SHELL EXTRACTOR AND INDICATOR Filed Aug. 6, 1956 a5 1 7 22 INVENTOR. 1- 6 3 20 15 14. A arm/ E Aw/mv/ BY I j fdmv ATTORNEY United Patent m COMBINED SHELL EXTRACTOR AND INDICATOR Arthur E. Luciani, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of ten percent to Brian Wickland, ten percent to Dante V. Luciani, and five percent to Elvira Luciani, all of Hollywood, Calif.

Application August 6, 1956, Serial No. 602,278

6 Claims. (Cl. 421) This invention relates to automatic pistols and deals more particularly with means to indicate whether or not the chamber of an automatic pistol contains a shell.

An object of this invention is to provide an indicator that provides means of the instant character that is both visual and subject to touch, thereby instantly apprising as to whether a shell is in the pistol chamber without the need for carrying out a separate operative step.

Another object of the invention is to provide indicating means of the character referred to that requires minimum change in present automatic pistols. In fact, the invention contemplates a construction that involves no change whatever in the pistol itself, merely involving substitution for the present cartridge extractor of one that is combined with an indicator, as herein contemplated.

Accordingly, therefore, a further object of the invention is to provide a unitary device that is adapted to replace the existing shell extractor of an automatic pistol or other comparable gun, said device combining a shell extractor and an indicator of the character above referred to.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

' The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are given' by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a top plan view of a combined shell extractor and indicator, the same being shown in operative relationship to a shell or cartridge.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, showing the present device when not engaged with a shell.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view of a modification.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 2 and to a smaller scale, showing the present combined extractor and indicator in relation to the outer perimeter of an automatic pistol.

The drawing shows a conventional shell 5, the same having the usual rim 6 and adjacent groove 7. In conventional automatic pistols, after firing of the cartridge, the shell 5 thereof is ejected from the gun by an ex tractor which, per se, is an element of an automatic pistol that is generally conventional.

The extractor 8 shown in the drawing typically comprises an elongated shank 9 having a hook 10 at one end engageable over the rim 6 of a shell 5 so as to eject said shell from the gun whether or not the cartridge of said shell has been fired, and a head 11 at the opposite ice and outer or exposed end to close the passage in the pistol slide in which the extractor is disposed. A lateral slot 12 in said head 11 receives a retaining plate that holds the extractor in place and is movable with the slide. Said shank 9 is provided intermediate its ends with an enlargement 13 having a bore 15 slidably supporting extractor 9 and permitting limited lateral fiexibility of said shank when the hook 10 thereof engages over the exterior rim of a shell to extract the same from the firing chamber.

In order that the above-described extractor may be better visualized with respect to its environment in a firearm, reference is made to the extractor 2 shown in Fig. 8 of Patent No. 984,519 issued to J. M. Browning. The present extractor 8 is intended to have an identical position in a firearm so that its end 22 is at all times exposed at the'outer end of a bolt such as shown at c of said patent.

Without changing its outer form so that the same may be accommodated in the bore provided, the above conventional extractor is modified to 'have a small bore 14 in the head 11, the same being continued as an aligned bore 15 in enlargement 13. Said aligned bores are preferably placed on the hook side of the shank 9 and, therefore, are aligned with the rim-hooking face of said hook. Another feature is the provision of a pin 16 that extends laterally from the extractor shank substantially as shown in Fig. l and providing a guide support for the inner end of a shell indicator 1.7.

Shell indicator 17 forming an important feature of the invention comprises a rod 18 extending through the aligned bores 14 and 15, a slotted guide plate 19 carried by the inner end of the rod and a compression spring 20 biasing rod 18 toward hook 10 with end 21 normally flush with the outer face 22 of extractor head 11. Plate 19 is formed with a slot 23 having a sliding fit with pin 16 so that said plate is guided for only longitudinal movement and prevents rotative movement of rod 18. Spring 20 is supported on rod 18 with one end against head 11 and the other end engaged with a cross pin or the like 24, on the rod. Thus, said spring resiliently biases the plate 19 toward hook .10. As shown in Figure 4, the spring 20 may be placed between lateral enlargement 13 and the plate 19, said enlargement thereby constituting an abutment from which the biasing force of the spring is applied.

The foregoing are but two ways of providing resilient bias that holds the end 21 of rod 18 retracted and it will be evident that, because of the small endwise movement of said rod, the head 11 may have the spring lodged therein and that the spring may take different forms and be variously applied.

It will be noted that the shell-rim engaging end of the plate 19 is provided with a bevel 25. Thus, as the rim 6 moves into engagement with hook 10, the same causes projection of the rod because of the camming engagement between said rim and bevel 25. Hence, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the end 21 of the rod 18 will be projected beyond the outer face 22 of the extractor head 11. Such projection can occur only when a shell is in the firing chamber, since spring 20 automatically retracts the rod 18 in the absence of a shell in said chamber.

For greater visibility, said rod end 21 may be colored. In any case, the same provides a ready means for indicating the presence of a shell in the firing chamber or whether said chamber is empty.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what are now contemplated to be the best modes of carrying out the invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An article of manufacture adapted to be substituted for the extractor assembly of an automatic pistol, said article comprising a unitary combined extractor and shell indicator assembly insertable as a unit in lieu of a pistol extractor without change in the pistol, said unitary assembly including an extractor having an inner hooked end, said extractor having slidably supported thereon an elongated shell indicator spring-biased toward the inner hooked end of said extractor with its outer end surface retracted when no shell is present in the pistol chamber, said shell indicator being held extended beyond the exterior surface of the pistol by the shell rim whenever a shell is present in the chamber thereby providing a positive and easily viewed indication of the loaded condition of the pistol.

2. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said extractor is provided with aligned bores longitudinally thereof slidably seating therein said elongated shell indicator, said extractor being formed from resilient metal and adapted to be deflected laterally of its length by a shell as the same is inserted into the pistol chamber whereby the hooked end of the extractor automatically seats in the extractor groove inwardly of the shell rim as the shell reaches its fully seated position in the shell chamber, and said resilient extractor being cooperable with the shell rim to extend said shell indicator lengthwise ofthe extractor as the hook thereof moves toward seated position in the shell groove.

3. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2 characterized in that the inner end of said shell indicator is cammed and cooperable with the extractor hook to force the indicator away from the hook and permit the hook to enter the shell groove thereby forcibly extending said indicator.

4. A combined extractor and shell indicator assembly for use in automatic pistols, said assembly being unitary and including as principal elements an elongated extractor having a resilient hook at its inner end and a shell indicator slidably supported lengthwise thereof and having its inner end normally spring-biased in closely spaced relation to the rim engaging surface of the extractor hook, whereby the seating of said hook in a shell extractor groove is effective to cam said indicator away from said hook surface in opposition to said spring, the outer end of said indicator, when extended, projecting beyond the outer surface of the pistol and providing a positive readily visible indication to the user that a shell is present in the shell chamber.

5. A unitary assembly as defined in claim 4 character ized in that the end of said extractoropposite the inner hooked end thereof is non-circular and adapted to fit closely against the complementally shaped walls of a seating bore therefor formed in the breech end of a pistol slide, said'non-circular extractor end having a laterally opening groove in the side thereof adapted to seat a retainer plate effective to lock the unitary assembly in its normal operating position in an automatic pistol.

6. In a unitary extractor assembly of the type adapted to be substituted for an extractor in an automatic pistol, said assembly comprising an elongated resilient extractor having a hooked inner end adapted to seat behind the extractor rim of a shell'as the latteris inserted into the shell chamber of the pistol, the outer end of said extractor being non-circular and notched to seat a retainer plate of the pistol when properly positioned in a complementary receiving bore for the extractor, that improvement which comprises a shell indicator movably supported on said extractor, means including a spring for holding said indicator assembled to said extractor, said indicator having its inner end positioned to be engaged by a shell rim and to be held in an extended position thereby when a shell is present in the shell chamber of a pistol, and the outer end of said indicator being retracted to lie flush with the adjacent exterior surface areas of the pistol when no shell is present in the shell chamber, but being projected beyond said exterior surface areas and prominently visible when a shell is present in its chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,145,328 Walther Jan. 31, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 271,863 Germany Mar. 19, 1914 370,907 Germany Mar. 8, 1923 

